While I think there are discussions to be had about power creep, the main takeaway is that cards are generally stronger now than they were just one decade ago
Digging and Protecting When it comes to digging for your combo pieces, Malevolent Rumble and Commune with Nature are your best options
Other than Spike Feeder, of course which breaks even
For the cost of one Lightning and one Colorless Energy, Tapu Koko ex can use Vengeful Shock, which deals only 30 HP of damage unless your opponent knocked out any of your Pokmon during their last turn
R&D is always thinking of ways to streamline text, and we came to the conclusion that it was just cleaner to have the creature deal the damage and get the effect, so in Exodus , I created the card Anyway, I was designing Urza's Destiny when I thought of combining Ophidian with the saboteur ability
Several good self-mill cards simply dont have mill-related keywords at all like Hermit Druid or Underrealm Lich